Mail-distributing conveyer system



S. OLSON.

MAIL DlSTRIBUTlNG CONVEYER SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I4. 1915.

31,332,35& Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHET I.

6 B4 hwdazf a.

S. OLSON.

MAIL DISTRIBUTING CONVEYER SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-141.1916.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920. v

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Maia? JamueZOZQ on iza 43345.

SAMUEL OLSON, or 'cnicaeo, ILLINOIS.

MAIL-DISTRIBUTING CONVEYER SYSTEM.

saving time and labor in the sorting of mail' or in analogous operations. It consists of the features and elements and their combination described and shown in the drawings as indicated by the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan view showing an arrangement of conveyers and associated devices embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on a larger scale and taken at line 22 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical detail section taken as indicated at line 33 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 is a vertical detail section taken as indicated at line 4-4: on Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detail section illustrating constructional features and taken as indicated at line 5-5 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a detail elevation of the delivery means taken as a section at line 6-6'on Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the parts illustrated in Fig. 6.

The system embodying this invention is shown applied to what may be termed the primary and secondary distribution of mail in a post-office. The primary distribution or sorting of the letter mail is accomplished at the desks or counters designated on Fi 1 as A and B, while the secondary distri ution is carried on at the desk, C. By the present invention the distributing desks or stations, A and B, are connected with the desks or 7 stations, C, by means of continuously-traveling conveyers, so that the employment of messengers is obviated and the clerks are able to remain at their respective desks continuously instead of walking about the room for delivering or' receiving their various packages of letters.

It may be understood that before arriving at the distributing stations, A and B, the first-class letter mail is customarily sorted Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920..

Application filed AugustJA, 1916. Serial No. 114,713.

into short letters and long letters simply for mechanical convenience of handling, and the shorter letters which are usually in the majority are delivered to station, A, for distribution, While the long letters are distributed at station, B. Except for this slight difference stations, and B, are functionally and constructionally similar. Both are provided with sorting racks consisting of sets of pigeon-holes, 1 and 2, respectively. As suggested in the detail views of Figs. 3 and 4E these pigeon-holes are arranged in several similar groups for the use of a number of operatives, and these views each show only a single typical group, To receive letters which for one reason or another are to be held at stations, A and B, even after they have been sorted out from the original mass of letters, there are provided pigeonholes, 3 and 1, respectively, made in the usual manner with open fronts and closed backs. In addition to these, however, there are special receiving pockets, 5 and 6, which lead to inclined chutes, 7 and 8, respectively, discharging downwardl in the space between the opposing bac rs of sorting racks, A and B.

In this space between the racks, A and B, there are disposed a plurality of horiz0ntally traveling conveyer belts, 9, each of which is comparatively narrow, that is, not exceeding one or two inches in width. These belts, 9, travel over a suitable support, 10, and are separated by partitions, 11,

which are preferably of a height approxi- As the letters are sorted at stations, A. and

B, those which are intended for any of the stations, C, are thrown into the roper pockets, 5 and 6, and slide immediately down the chute connected with said pockets and leading for downward discharge upon the corresponding conveyer belts, 9, of which there may be. one corresponding to each of the stations, G, and to each of which one of the ockets, 5 or 6,.oorresponds and is connected by its chute, 7 or 8. For example, a letter inserted in the .ocket, 5*, (see Fig. t), will slide immediate y down the chute, 7, (see Fig. 2), arriving on end on the belt, 9". The

motion of the belt, 9*, in the direction of the station, C, will at once rotate the letter through about bringing its lateral edge onto the belt, 9", and it will then be carried by the belt, 9", and delivered to the station,

(1*, (see Fig. l), for which it was intended.

In a similar way each .of the pockets, 5, leads to a particular one of the belts, 9, which in turn leads to a particular one'of the stations, C; the pockets, 6, ,of the distributing rack, 2, are similarly connected with certain of the stations, C.

At the stations, A and B, for originally delivering letters to the several operatives there may be provided continuously-traveling oonveyer belts, 12, (see Fig. 2), running flat upon the surface of the tables, 1 and 2 which are associated with the respective sorting racks, 1 and 2. The means by which the letters are delivered from the belts, 9, to the stations, C, is shown in Figs. 2, 6 and 7, principally in Fig. 6. This shows one of the belts, 9, passing around a head pulley, 13, at the end of its run, and positioned to receive the letters from the belt as it rounds the pulley, 13, is a curved tube, 14, of rectangular cross section formed to guide the letter first downwardly and then to discharge it laterally with respect to its direction of travel on the belt, 9', as will be clear upon considering the end view of the tube, 14:, in Fig. 2. Upon emerging from the lat eral mouth, 14, of the tube, 14, the letter drops flat upon a transversely traveling belt,

15, running under or below the level of the sorting table or counter, 16, of the distributing desk, C, and provided with a lateral guard or flange, 17, for preventing the letters from ever falling ofi thebelt, 16, into an inaccessible position. The belt, 15, traveling away from the assembly ofconveycr belts, 9, and toward the distributing desk, C, runs rather slowly and ultimately delivers its accumulation of letters onto the stationary surface or shelf, 18, extending in the plane of the belt, 15, just beyond its head wheel, 19. From this position the accumulation can be periodically removed by the clerk and either held in the hand or laid upon the desk or counter, 16, for final distribution into the pigeon-holes, 20', of his sorting rack.

It will be evident that for primary distributing stations, A and B, by reason of the fact that the letters do not accumulate in the pockets, 5 and 6, these pockets can be smaller than the ordinary pigeon-holes, 3 and 4, and the clerk can work much faster because he always has an open and empty pocket to throw the letters into instead of finding it necessary to use one hand for packing down an accumulation to permit the insertion of additional letters as is often necessary with the plain pigeon-holes. lln this connection. it may be noted that Fig. 2 shows department so that to a certain extent the special delivery service maybe speeded up more than if the'letters were allowed to.

accumulate in special pigeonrholes of the sorting racks, 1 and 2. At the final distributing stations, C, as soon as any one of the pigeon-holes, 20, is pretty well filled the packet of letters is tied up with a tape or string and tossed onto the overhead conveyer belt, 23, seen in Figs. 1 and 2, by

which it is carriedto the proper department a for final disposal in the railway mail pouches or in the carriers sacks, as the case maybe. That is to say, 'the herein-described distribution system is not applicable alone to .outgoing mail but also to incoming mail which is to be distributed for local delivery.

Fig. 5 indicates the preferred detail construction of the partition, 11, disposed between the parallel traveling conveyer belts. 9. The support for the belts, 9, is made up of longitudinal rails, 10, one under each belt, 9, these rails being tied together transversely by tie rods, 24, and having secured between them vertically extending metal plates, 25, and also the lower edges, 26*, of sheet metal side walls which are off-set from the plates, 25, at line's just above the belts, 9,

so that their vertical guiding surfaces are carried overhanging the margin of the belts, 9, to prevent any of the letters from being caught between the partitions and these margins of the belts. No other securement is necessary at the lower edges of the wall, 26, because their upper edges are bent over and detachably secured to the to of the plates, 25, as by means of screws, 2 shown 1n Fig. 5; thus the lower edges,26 are held in the grooves of the supports, 10, without the use of any securing means which might come in contact with the letters carried on the belts, 9, and the walls, 26, present only smooth unbroken surfaces for contactwith the letters on said belts. Preferably the upper edges of the plates, 25, are made 'l' shaped in cross section by applying facing. rails, 28, to both sides of each plate, 25, and these rails also serve to strengthen the plates, 25, at the points where they are drilled and tapped for receiving the screws, 27. It will be evident that this construction also fa cilita-tes the removal of the guide walls, 26, if this should be necessary for renewal or repair.

I claim 1. In combination with an unobstructed passage formed with parallel side walls and aeaeee fixed, unobstructed tubular chute opening directly into said passage and having its opposite walls connecting respectively with the upper edges of said side walls of the passage.

2. Conveying apparatus comprising, in combination with an unobstructed passage formed with narrowly spaced vertical side walls and a traveling belt constituting its bottom, a loading station disposed laterally of said belt provided with a tubular feed chute whose receiving portion extends transversely of the direction of travel of the belt and is formed with upper and lower walls both extending downwardly into curves terminating in substantially vertical. planes at the discharge end, and registering respec tively with the upper edges of opposite side walls of the passage,

3. ln the combination set forth in claim 2, said upper and lower walls of the tubular chute converging gradually from a maximum separation at the receiving end to a minimum spacing at the discharge end of the chute,

4:. In conveying apparatus adapted to conduct flat packages such as cards or letters along a horizontal path resting on edge in substantially upright position, a receiving chute comprising a laterally flattened tube having a vertically extended receiving mouth disposed at the end of such horizontal path to admit the packages, said tube being formed as an elbow curving downwardy from such receiving mouth and connecting with a laterally curving elbow discharging transversely of the direction from which the packages enter the said receiving mouth.

5. In a conveyer system comprising a belt and a support over which it runs, a fixed lateral guide consisting of an upright member laterally adjacent the support and a guide wall of sheet material engaging the top of said upright and smoothly depending therefrom, overhanging the belt margin at a line slightly above said belt then extending beyond said margin to the upright and downwardly between said up-.

'with the belt at each margin thereof, guide walls of sheet material mounted with their lower edges in said grooves but ofi-set from the vertical plane thereof at lines-just above the belt for overhanging the edges of said belt, the upper edges of said walls being bent over and secured to the tops of said vertical members whereby smooth unbroken surfaces are presented by the guide walls for 'contact with articles carried on the belt. 7. In a conveyer system comprising a plurality of conveyer belts, a support over which they run composed of members slightly wider than each of the belts positioned side by side with means tying them together transversely, and fixed partitions between adjacent belts each comprising a plate secured between adjacent supporting members andextending above their suppor ing surface and side walls of sheet metal having their lower edges secured with each plate between adjacent supporting members but ofi-set from the plate at a line just above the belt on the support for overhanging the edges of such belt, said plate having a T-head for spacing said walls at the top, and the upper edges of the walls being bent over and detachably secured to the top surface of said T-head.

lln testimony whereof I have-hereunto set my hand at Chicago, llinois, this llthday of August, 1916. I SAMUEL OLSON.

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